Banana Oatmeal Cups To-Go

There is just something about sweet, fragrant banana bread that is so hard to resist. Not that I’m saying you should resist. On the contrary, you should give in more often! And I can think of no better place to start than with this “breakfast on-the-go” option of heart healthy banana bread oatmeal muffins. Now the key to getting the truly deep banana flavor is to use very ripe bananas. Black bananas that leave a trail on the counter are perfect, but if those are too ripe for you, then make sure they have large spots covered in brown. This is a sign that the sugars inside the banana are releasing, which gives it that classic flavor.

If you don’t have instant oats you can pulse regular oats in a food processor for about a minute until they are in smaller pieces. These will work the same.

Kelsey Kinser

Banana Oatmeal Cups To-Go

4 cups instant oats, or regular oats broken up

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup walnuts, broken up

3 exceptionally ripe average sized bananas, peeled

1/2 cup applesauce or vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Kelsey Kinser

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin or spray it with non stick spray.

In a large bowl mix together the oats, spices, salt, baking powder, and walnuts. In a medium bowl mash together the bananas, applesauce, eggs, maple, and vanilla until it is smooth. Alternatively you can blend this all in a blender

Pour the liquids into the oat mixture and stir to combine. Do not over-mix. Merely mix until combined. Scoop into the muffin tin.